Top Ten Tuesday: Places Mentioned In Books That I’d Like to Visit
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Places Mentioned In Books That I’d Like to Visit. One of the things I love most about reading is that books almost always make me want to travel. Maybe it’s to an actual destination like France or Italy or maybe it’s just my imagination running wild to visit fictional locales that I think would be incredible. I know I’ve mentioned Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings in similar posts, but they’re automatically the first two worlds I think of when exploring this kind of topic. I did try to mix it up a bit with those two though and pick different places. I also tried to add in a few newer reads that I haven’t covered in similar posts.
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Places Mentioned In Books That I’d Like to Visit
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCEROR’S STONE by J.K. Rowling
I’d love to go shopping in Diagon Alley with Hagrid.
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN by J.K. Rowling
I’d love to visit Hogsmeade and have a butter beer with Harry, Ron, and Hermione
LOVE & GELATO by Jenna Evans Welch
I’ve been once, but I’d love to go back to Italy and try ALL the gelato!
READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline
Two words: THE OASIS!
A DANCE WITH DRAGONS by George R.R. Martin
Westeros – – I want to see the dragons and then get out of there ASAP!
I’d love to visit Tokyo, try out the VR, and watch the Warcross Games.
I want to see the Shire.
LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien
I would love to see Rivendell, the Elf refuge.
THE DA VINCI CODE by Dan Brown
I’d like to go back to Paris and visit the Louvre some day.)
JURASSIC PARK by Michael Crichton
I’d like to get a quick peek at the dinosaurs, especially the ones who aren’t carnivores, lol.
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Question: What places mentioned in books would you like to visit?
Early Review: RAYNE & DELILAH’S MIDNITE MATINEE by Jeff Zentner
Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner 
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers on February 26, 2019
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 400
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
RAYNE & DELILAH’S MIDNITE MATINEE review
Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee is my first time reading a Jeff Zentner novel, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going in. What I got was pretty much everything I love about contemporary novels all rolled into one fabulous book. It’s a story about friendship and family, first loves, taking risks and following your dreams, and it’s also a story about goodbyes. It also features a hilarious Saturday night public access TV show that features horrible horror flicks, and it takes us on a road trip to a horror fan convention.
Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee is equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, and I was there for every minute of it.
Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee features two main characters, Delia and Josie, both of whom I found to be very likeable and the situations they found themselves in easy to relate to. They are both high school seniors who are making plans for the future and wondering how those future plans are going to impact their friendship. Josie wants a career on television and while she’s currently starring on a public access TV show with Delia, her opportunity to follow her dreams would be much greater if she moved away from their town and attended one of the bigger universities, one of which has an internship at the Food Network with her name all over it. Josie is very conflicted about what to do, not just because she hates the idea of leaving Delia behind, but also because she has just met a new guy named Lawson that she has quickly grown very attached to, and going away to school would mean leaving him as well.
Delia’s plans for the future are less academic-based and more focused on her personal life and something that she needs to resolve once and for all for the sake of her mental health. Her father abandoned her and her mom years ago, just up and disappeared and hasn’t been heard from since. Between him leaving and now possibly Josie following suit, Delia is struggling emotionally with the idea that she is always being left behind. She knows it’s not fair to think that in Josie’s case, but her father walking out had just been such a weight on her shoulders for so many years that it colors everything else in her life, even her TV show. She really wants to track him down and confront him because she needs answers if she’s ever going to move on.
I loved both of these girls, and even Josie’s boyfriend Lawson, who is just super adorable in every way. I thought Zentner did an incredible job of really getting inside of both Delia and Josie’s heads to give us so much insight on what they’re thinking and feeling as they’re trying to plan their futures without losing their friendship. The friendship between Josie and Delilah is written so beautifully. It feels so authentic and takes me back to when I was graduating from both high school and college and had to say goodbye to friends I had grown to love and those fears that we would drift apart if we didn’t see each other every day. It makes me shed a tear just thinking about how relatable this aspect of the story was.
Speaking of tears though, there were also many tears of joy shed. In addition to the emotional journeys that both Delia and Josie take us on, there’s also a tremendous amount of humor in the book, especially as it relates to Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee, the public access TV show that Delia and Josie co-host. All I could think while I was reading was that I need this TV show in my life. For the show, the girls play horror hosts Rayne Ravencroft and Delilah Darkwood, dress up as vampires and do quirky comedic skits (a la Elvira, Mistress of the Dark for those who are old enough to remember her). Their guest stars include their own pets, as well a group of boys who dress up in skeleton costumes and dance around like fools in the background. As if those antics weren’t enough, they aren’t even the main event. The main event each week is basically the worst, cheesiest horror flick you’ve ever seen. Think Mystery Science Theater 3000 except with horror movies instead of cheesy old sci fi. The whole concept for the show, and Delia and Josie working with their grumpy old tech guy Arliss, had me in stitches every time they went to prep an episode of their show.
While I thought it was sweet that Delia and Josie were often mistaken for sisters because their personalities and sense of humor were so similar, I also thought the similarity in voice made it a little challenging at first to keep the girls straight in my head. I had to keep flipping back to the first page of each chapter to remember whose perspective I was reading. Once each character’s journey became more defined, however, I settled in and was more easily able to keep track of who was who. As you can see from my rating, it didn’t keep me from loving the book in any way but I figured I should mention it just to be 100% honest here.
Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee was a delightful read from beginning to end. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys humorous, heartfelt reads that focus on family, friendship, and following your dreams.
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:
A contemporary novel about two best friends who must make tough decisions about their futures–and the TV show they host–in their senior year of high school.
Every Friday night, best friends Delia and Josie become Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood, hosts of the campy creature feature show Midnite Matinee on the local cable station TV Six.
But with the end of senior year quickly approaching, the girls face tough decisions about their futures. Josie has been dreading graduation, as she tries to decide whether to leave for a big university and chase her dream career in mainstream TV. And Lawson, one of the show’s guest performers, a talented MMA fighter with weaknesses for pancakes, fantasy novels, and Josie, is making her tough decision even harder.
Scary movies are the last connection Delia has to her dad, who abandoned the family years ago. If Midnite Matinee becomes a hit, maybe he’ll see it and want to be a part of her life again. And maybe Josie will stay with the show instead of leaving her behind, too.
As the tug-of-war between growing up and growing apart tests the bonds of their friendship, Josie and Delia start to realize that an uncertain future can be both monstrous…and momentous.
About Jeff Zentner
Jeff Zentner lives in Nashville, Tennessee. He came to writing through music, starting his creative life as a guitarist and eventually becoming a songwriter. He’s released five albums and appeared on recordings with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Thurston Moore, Debbie Harry, Mark Lanegan, and Lydia Lunch, among others.
Now he writes novels for young adults. He became interested in writing for young adults after volunteering at the Tennessee Teen Rock Camp and Southern Girls Rock Camp. As a kid, his parents would take him to the library and drop him off, where he would read until closing time. He worked at various bookstores through high school and college.
He speaks fluent Portuguese, having lived in the Amazon region of Brazil for two years.
Review: CROWN OF FEATHERS
Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto 
Series: Crown of Feathers #1
Published by Simon Pulse on February 12, 2019
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 496
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
CROWN OF FEATHERS Review
Nicki Pau Preto’s Crown of Feathers is an epic fantasy that centers on a world that has been torn apart by a war between two warrior queens who also happen to be sisters. The legendary Phoenix Riders were the heroes of that world until the war between the sisters destroyed everything. Years later, many are still struggling to make ends meet and keep food on the table, including main character Veronyka, who is an orphan because of the war. Veronyka is also an animage, which means she can communicate with animals. Animages are considered dangerous by the new empire, so Veronyka lives in hiding. As an animage, however, Veronyka’s biggest dream is to find and join the Phoenix Riders. She knows they’re still out there somewhere and is willing to do whatever it takes to become one of them, especially if it will get her away from her psychologically abusive sister, Val.
When Val betrays Veronyka in a most heinous and cruel way, Veronyka abandons her and sets out on her own, determined that she will either find the Phoenix Riders or die trying. She finally locates a compound where apprentices are being trained to become Phoenix Riders. It’s everything she hoped it would be, except there’s a catch. They aren’t taking new apprentices because they don’t have anymore available phoenixes and even if they were, they only train boys. To join their ranks, Veronyka disguises herself as a boy, Nyk, and signs on as a stable hand. She makes friends with Tristan, the son of the Phoenix Riders’ commander, who promises to sponsor Nyk as an apprentice Phoenix Rider the next time they’re taking on new apprentices.
Can Veronyka keep her true identity hidden? Where’s Val during all of this? Are the Phoenix Riders safe from the new empire? What will happen if they’re discovered?
My favorite character, by far, in Crown of Feathers was Veronyka. The author had me in her corner from the first moment we meet her and see how poorly her sister Val treats her. And as much as I hated it when Val betrays Veronyka, I loved the growth we get to see in Veronyka when she sets out on her own. She’s determined, she’s fierce, and just a real force to be reckoned with, especially the closer she gets to making her dream come true. She had my sympathy right away but eventually she earned my respect and admiration as well.
I also really liked the other two main characters, Tristan and Sev, and thought they also had interesting journeys in this book. As I mentioned earlier, Tristan is the son of the Phoenix Riders’ commander. He is under tremendous pressure to live up to his father’s high expectations so that he might lead the Riders someday. In addition to watching his relationship with Nyk/Veronyka grow, much of Tristan’s journey focuses on him desperately trying to overcome his fears and make his father proud. Sev, like Veronyka, is an animage in hiding. Unlike Veronyka, however, Sev is hiding in plain sight, working as a soldier in the empire’s army. His life takes an interesting and even more dangerous turn when he is approached by someone who knows what he is and is tasked with spying on the enemy from within.
Having the story unfold from these three unique perspectives added so many complex layers and interesting relationship dynamics. I really enjoyed watching all three of these characters grow and mature.
Aside from the characters, I also loved the whole concept of the Phoenix Riders. The visual of these fierce warriors riding on fiery phoenixes gave me chills, and I also loved the way the author describes the unbreakable bond that forms between a phoenix and his or her rider of choice. Everything about this was just so well thought out and well written. The author made it very easy to see why becoming a Phoenix Rider was Veronyka’s dream.
The ending was actually my absolute favorite part of Crown of Feathers. If you’re into epic battle scenes, this book is for you. I don’t want to spoil anything but think along the lines of the battle in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or even the battles to protect the wall in Game of Thrones. It was so intense and had me flying through the pages to see who would come out on top. Regardless of my overall rating, I’d give the last 100 or so pages 5 stars.
My biggest issue with A Crown of Feathers centered on the worldbuilding. As I mentioned, I thought the world itself was fantastic, especially the Phoenixes and the whole idea of the Phoenix Riders. I just had a hard time with the way all of the background information was inserted in large clumps throughout the story. It’s probably just me but getting the information that way really slowed the pacing of the story for me at times and just felt in the way of the action.
I also wanted more interaction between Val and Veronyka. I have a thing for complicated sibling dynamics and was so excited by the way this story started off with Val betraying Veronyka in such a big way. Then she just disappeared for hundreds of pages. I spent much of the book wondering when she was going to make an appearance and either redeem herself or make things even worse between herself and Veronyka.
Even though I struggled with the pacing in the first half of the book, I still think Crown of Feathers is a very solid series opener and a stellar debut effort. The way this first book ended has me very excited to find out where the story is going next. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy, fierce female protagonists, and of course, those beautiful fiery phoenixes.
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:
I had a sister, once…
In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.
I promised her the throne would not come between us.
Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks.
But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled.
Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all.
Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken.
About Nicki Pau Preto
Nicki is a YA fantasy author living just outside Toronto, Canada. After getting a degree in visual arts, a masters in art history, and a diploma in graphic design, Nicki discovered two things: she loves to escape the real world, and she isn’t interested in a regular 9-5 life. Luckily, her chosen career covers both.
Her YA fantasy debut CROWN OF FEATHERS is coming February 12, 2019 from Simon Pulse.